The present invention generally relates to vehicles or crafts which are propelled by a sail, in much the same fashion as a sail boat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sail-propelled vehicle which is collapsible so as to be easily stored and transported, which is relatively inexpensive, and simple to set up and operate.
Sailing vehicles have existed since the earliest antiquity in Egypt, and then in China. In Europe, numerous types of vehicles with sails have been constructed, notably in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. However, it was at the beginning of the 20th century that the first competitions were organized. Since 1945, so-called beach sailors have been built at the beaches of the European Atlantic and North Sea coast. These vehicles are up to 800 pounds and can have a sail size of in excess of forty-five square feet. These vehicles are relatively heavy and unwieldy and their assembly normally takes several hours. Moreover, these types of vehicles require custom-made trailers for transportation.
A more recent development is a “land yacht” or “land sail” which are vehicles supported by wheels for operation on a beach, dry lake, road or other solid surface. The recreational use of such vehicles has increasingly gained popularity.
However, a continuing problem with such land sails or land yachts is that they are typically large and therefore difficult to store, handle and transport. This can reduce the enjoyment of use of the land sail for recreational purposes. Also, many such vehicles are difficult and time consuming to erect, some requiring at least forty-five minutes by two people. Further, such land sail vehicles at present are typically complex devices which involve significant costs to manufacture. The traditional construction of land sails is to build a tubular frame and put a sail and cloth seat on it. The frame is generally made of steel pipe welded together to support the wheels, the mast step for the sail, and the seat. However, such construction requires a trailer to transport and is not conducive to storing and transportation.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a sail propelled vehicle which is collapsible so as to be easily transported and stored. Such a vehicle should be capable of being assembled by one person in a very short time period. Moreover, such a vehicle should be relatively inexpensive. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.